The Leading Life of Ordinary
by delusionment
Summary: While their existance was complex, their life together was simple. But when is it ever simple to raise a family? Ryoko x Kousuke. -three shot-
1. Four Children, One Huge Chaos

A/N: Okay, those of you who have been following the manga know that none of the Blade Children will be able to maintain their sanity after they turn twenty. Well, in this one-shot Ryoko and Kousuke are roughly about twenty-eight. You must asking, "How can Ryoko and Kousuke settle down and have kids when they are twenty-eight and supposed to be insane at this point of their lives?" Well, I suggest you continue reading if you want the answer, but you should be wary. This story contains major spoilers for the manga's ending as well as possible spoilers too. Enjoy at your own risk.

--+--

The Leading Life of "Ordinary"

Kousuke Asazuki got out of his car once he had parked it in the driveway of his house. He had been working two full-time shifts to cover for his boss and wife: Kiyotaka and Madoka Narumi. That's right. He had been working for Kiyotaka's organization ever since he got out of college. The reason why Kiyotaka and Madoka were absent was because Kiyotaka's little brother (or more properly, his clone), Ayumu, recently died from his biological complications. Kiyotaka and Madoka were taking off time to plan his funeral.

Ayumu was really a clone of Kiyotaka, and his other half, Hizumi Mizushiro was a clone of his older brother Yaiba Mizushiro. It was proven when Kirie Tsuchiya had matched Ayumu and Hizumi's DNA to their brothers. Hizumi had known all along, and he told Ayumu that they both were the first successful clones, but because of biological complications, their life span was limited. Ayumu and Hizumi were destined to fight as they held the fate of the Blade Children. In order for the Blade Children to survive, Hizumi had to die. With a final showdown on top of Tokyo Tower, Ayumu won without any help. Because Ayumu would not kill Hizumi, Hizumi threw himself off the top of the tower. He was hospitalized and died later from his biological complications. Before he did, he told Ayumu how to live longer than him.

Ah, yes. It had been eleven years since Ayumu Narumi had discovered the truth about the Blade Children and saved them by changing their fate with this answer: to live on, creating new opportunities and generating hope under their own power. Ayumu was hospitalized after giving his answer to the Blade Children. Because of his complications, he had lost the use of his left arm. When he was in his room, he continued to write music and play the piano. Now, the tide of death had finally caught up to him.

Kousuke opened the door of his house to find the place a mess as always. He could hear his wife shouting upstairs, and he could tell that it was way too late to have a leftover dinner. "Forget dinner. I'm tired. I'll just go straight to bed." He thought. He dropped his briefcase next to the door and began to carefully make his way around the mess of toys, toys, and toys.

Scampering down the stairs, were two little girls who looked alike. Both girls had long red hair that almost looked pink, but their eyes were different: one had green eyes and the other had brown eyes. "Whoa! Hey, hey! Watch it!" Kousuke yelled after the girls had practically shoved past their father causing him to nearly lose his balance and suffer a lot of pain from the toys lying around him.

"No! Get back here Aneko! You, too, Aiko!" Kousuke's wife, Ryoko screamed from the top of the stairs. Spotting her husband, she yelled after him, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, Kousuke! Help me catch them! They both need to take a bath!"

"No! I don't want to take a bath! You can't make me!" Aneko stated running away from her father. She was the older one of the twins Ryoko and Kousuke had together. She had the looks of her father, but the speed of her mother. Aiko laughed as she began running in a different direction than her twin.

"You can't catch us!" she chorused happily.

"Oh, just you wait!" Ryoko snarled as she chased after Aiko.

After spending four years of college together, Ryoko and Kousuke got married. Kiyotaka offered Kousuke a job in his organization after the wedding. No, actually, it was during the wedding feast. Something must have happened during the honeymoon because nine months later, Ryoko had her first son named Haruko. Two years later, the twins, Aneko and Aiko were born. Another five years later, another boy was born named Jiro. While Kousuke is away at work, Ryoko had to take care of Jiro and the house. The most running Ryoko ever did now was after the kids when they refused to do something they didn't like.

(The names of the kids were chosen based on their meaning. Haruko was the oldest and his name means, "first born." Aneko means "older sister". Aiko means, "little loved one", and Jiro means "the second male.")

Jiro began crying upstairs alerting his parents that he was now awake and wanted something. "Oh no. That's Jiro. I have to take care of him. Kousuke, please catch these two brats and force them to take a bath!" Ryoko pleaded as she abandoned chasing after Aiko and rushed upstairs to answer Jiro's cries. Kousuke knew that he didn't have the legs and the speed to chase after his daughters who inherited that form from their mother. He decided to use wits to challenge them.

"Aneko! Aiko! Head upstairs and go take a bath now!" He yelled.

"No!" Both twins answered at the same time.

"Better listen to me unless you want some serious consequences to happen." Kousuke threatened.

Aneko giggled. "I don't know what 'consquensisus' means so I don't care!"

"If you say so." Kousuke shrugged and grabbed one of the plastic garbage bags from the kitchen. "I was serious when I meant to take a bath, girls. If you don't, your punishment is that you get no TV, no dessert, and extra chores for a month."

"So? That's no punishment!" Aiko spat out.

"I also forgot to mention as well. No toys either!" Kousuke began picking up each toy that cluttered the entire living room floor and depositing it inside the garbage can.

Both twin girls screamed and howled with anguish as they began begging their daddy to stop. "No! Daddy! Stop it! Give us back our toys!" Aiko screamed.

"No! You both didn't do as you were told so you have to pay the price!" Kousuke answered over their shouting. He continued to gather up all the toys as both Aneko and Aiko latched themselves on their dad's legs. Kousuke knew he was a softy when it came to his kids, but he was tired from work, irritable, and he didn't want to be smacked around by Ryoko that night.

"What is all the commotion?" Ryoko asked as she appeared at the top of the stairs holding Jiro in her arms. He was still crying.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing." Kousuke answered as he began to climb the stairs with difficulty. After all, not only did he have a pile of toys inside a bag, he had twins crying hysterically as they were latched onto him. "Why won't Jiro go back to sleep?"

"I don't know! He doesn't need to be changed nor fed. I tried burping him, but he doesn't need to be. Whenever I try to sing lullabies to him, he won't sleep!" Ryoko said desperately. "What are you doing to the girls?"

Finally pulling himself up to the second floor, he answered his wife, "Even if I were able to catch them, they wouldn't take a bath so I had to improvise!"

"Improvise?" She yelled above Jiro, Aneko, and Aiko's loud crying. "Like what kind of improvise did you have in mind?"

"Threatening them by taking away their right to have TV, desserts, and their toys if they didn't do as they were told!" Kousuke exclaimed.

"Are you stupid? You can't do that to a child! That's like house arrest to them!" Ryoko said angrily. "Kousuke, just give the girls their toys back! They're upsetting Jiro even more!"

"No! They need to be taught a lesson! If they do something bad, then they ought to get something taken away!" Kousuke replied stubbornly.

"Idiot! I don't want to discipline our kids based on empty threats!" She answered exasperatedly.

"Who said that _this_ was an empty threat?"

The volume to a TV suddenly began much louder down the hall. "Haruko! I said to turn the TV off already and get to bed! It's past your bed time!" Ryoko ordered.

"But mom! Tomorrow is Saturday!" Haruko whined poking his head out of his room. He looked most like his mom, except he had glasses like his dad.

"Saturday or no Saturday! I want you in bed now!" She demanded.

"Ryoko! Give the kid a break! He's starting his weekend!" Kousuke answered leniently.

"Oh, for the love of God! Must you be so lenient with the kids? They'll never learn their lesson if you are so soft with them!" Ryoko cried. She grabbed the bag of toys from Kousuke and dropped them on the floor. "Just give the girls their toys back and give them a bath. I'll get the phone!" Ryoko disappeared into the master bedroom.

With Aneko and Aiko still attached to him, Kousuke trudged his way to the bathroom. He pried both girls from his legs and made them sit at the edge of the bathtub. "Girls, that's enough crying." He ordered. "The next time you don't listen to anything your mother or I say there will be consequences. Do you understand? I will give back your toys, just as long as you promise to do as your told and to put them away in the toy box, okay?"

"Okay, daddy." Aneko sniffled. Aiko rubbed the tears from her face and nodded.

"Good. Now please be good girls and take a bath. No messing around." He kissed their foreheads and left the bathroom. He grabbed the bag of toys and dropped them inside Aneko and Aiko's room. He then appeared in the doorway of Haruko's room where he was still watching cartoons.

"You heard what your mother said, Haruko." He said sternly.

"But dad!" Haruko pleaded.

"No buts. I'm tired and I want to sleep, but your mom won't let me sleep unless all of you are asleep. So wash up and get in bed so I can."

"But--"

"I said get to bed or else you will be doing more chores that will take so long that you won't have a chance to catch a glimpse of TV. NOW." The redheaded Blade Child ordered crossly. There, he took his leave.

Kousuke was about to get ready for bed when he saw Ryoko coming out of their bedroom. "Kousuke, take Jiro." She replied handing the crying baby to her husband. That was Rio on the phone. We completely forgot that she was coming in from Russia and she's waiting for us at the airport. Can you please watch the kids while I go pick Rio up?"

"Why, why do I have to be the one to watch the kids?" Kousuke asked as he began bouncing from side to side to calm down Jiro. "I'll go pick up Rio!"

"No way! I spend the most time with these little rascals while you are at work and I want some time to myself. You'll be fine! Haruko and Aneko and Aiko will be in bed soon so you just have to worry about Jiro." Ryoko replied calmly.

"But--"

"When the kids are in bed, clean the mess up a bit, please? It won't take long." She kissed her husband before leaving.

Kousuke sat down on his bed and began bouncing Jiro on his leg. "Right. I'll be fine. Right, Jiro?" Kousuke began blowing raspberries on his son's belly. Slowly, Jiro's cries ceased as he began to giggle.

"Oh what? You like that?" Kousuke continued to make his son laugh with each raspberry he blew. Now his son was completely calm and taciturn. He took the baby into the nursery and laid Jiro in his crib. Covering him with a blanket, Kousuke watched Jiro slowly fall asleep.

Exiting back into the hallway, he saw a nightmare right in front of him. When he had gone to put Jiro to sleep, the second floor was completely clean. Now, an army of toys lay in his wake. More importantly, they were the twins' toys.

"Oh no…" Kousuke muttered.

Haruko came out of the bathroom and spotted the look of horror on his dad's face. "I didn't do it, I swear. You might want to check with Aiko and Aneko in the room next to mine." He said passively.

It took a while for Kousuke to get the words out of his mouth. "Haruko, your Auntie Rio is coming to stay with us for a while. Please do me a favor and clean up all the toys here while I go deal with your sisters." Kousuke begged.

Haruko sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you."

Kousuke began storming down the floor towards his daughters' room. Unfortunately, he didn't see where he was stepping. His foot came down upon an open bag of marbles. The pressure and weight on the marbles cause Kousuke's footing to go very uneasy. This caused him to slip and fall back onto a doll stroller, Battleship game board, and a bunch of Barbies.

"Ow…" He moaned. "I think this pain is worse than when Ryoko used to punch me in high school and college… Now that is saying something." Kousuke complained.

He slowly got up and reached for the doorknob of Aneko and Aiko's room. When he opened the door, he saw that the twins had made a "campout". The lights were shut off, but the girls had set up a tent on the floor. They had tied a corner of a blanket to the doorknob and another was underneath Aneko's bedpost. The middle of the tent was held up with an umbrella. By opening the door, Kousuke had yanked away the bed sheet.

"No! Haruko, you ruined our tent! We're going to get back at you for this!" Aneko yelled.

Kousuke turned on the light and stared at his daughters as they scrambled out from under the bed sheet. "Both of you are really asking for trouble." Kousuke commented. "I want you to fix your room and clean up the toys in the hall! Your Auntie Rio is coming over to stay! And I don't want your mother to hit me for not cleaning up!"

"Okay…" the twins chorused together. They began to fix their beds while Kousuke and Haruko continued to pick up the toys lying around in the hallway. When the girls were finished organizing their room (Kousuke made sure they were), they began to pick up all of the toys as well. Kousuke noted to himself to stop spoiling his daughters with stuffed animals and toys.

Haruko had his arms filled with dolls, but then he suddenly dropped them all on the floor. "My Battleship board!" he cried out. He launched himself to grab it, but his sisters were there to snatch it away. "That's mine! Give it back!"

"No!" Aiko yelled.

Haruko grabbed one end of the board and began to fight with his sisters in a tug. "It's my Battleship board! Dad got it for me for Christmas! It's mine!" he yelled.

"So what! You need two people to play, and Aiko and me always play with it!" Aneko screamed.

"Haruko! Girls! Stop this petty fight! It's better if you share the game!" Kousuke shouted.

Kousuke's own kids ignored him and continued to fight. "No, you don't! The both of you are always playing with those ugly Bratz dolls! After all, you both are brats!" Haruko roared over Jiro's loud cries.

"Take that back!" The twins said at the same time.

"No!"

"Take it back!" Aneko ordered.

"No!"

"Oh great! They woke up Jiro with this racket!" Kousuke muttered angrily. Before Kousuke could go to the nursery to calm down Jiro, the Battleship board collided with his face. The twins had yanked the board game from their older brother and thrown it aside, sadly, in the face of their own dad.

Aneko and Aiko jumped onto Haruko to hurt him, but Haruko was faster. He rolled away and grabbed his Battleship board game and sprinted down the stairs. He wasn't fast like his sisters, but he was smarter than them--MUCH smarter. Aneko and Aiko took off after their older brother, ignoring their dazed father on the floor.

Coming to his senses, Kousuke sat up with his face red and in pain. He readjusted his glasses on his face, surprised that they weren't broken yet. He could hear a lot of yelling and things flying through the air down in the kitchen. First thing for Kousuke to take care of was Jiro. Kousuke went into the nursery and calmed his youngest son down by making him laugh again. When Jiro was quiet again and in his crib, Kousuke hooked up the stereo from the master bedroom inside the nursery. He inserted a CD of classical pieces by Mozart. Kousuke had read before that babies become much smarter if they listen to classical music when they are sleeping. It was like killing two birds with one stone, Jiro would become smarter and he wouldn't be able to hear the commotion downstairs.

After slowly closing the door to the nursery, Kousuke stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. This was one of his biggest challenges so far as a father: to get his kids to listen to him. The twins were on one side of the kitchen throwing ice cubes while Haruko was on the other side holding the Battleship game and a pot. Every time the girls threw ice cubes at Haruko, he would catch them in the pot and throw them back. It was almost like a bad game of lacrosse.

Dodging the ice cubes being pelted, Kousuke rummaged through a drawer for a whistle. It was the one Kousuke used to help Ryoko train for the Olympics when they were in college. Finding it, he blew it as loud as he could. All movement ceased except for an ice cube bouncing off of the side of Kousuke's head.

"Sorry daddy." Aneko apologized with a guilty stare.

"This is getting quite ridiculous! It is almost eleven! You three aren't even supposed to be up right now!" Kousuke yelled angrily. "Now go to your rooms and sleep! I'll clean up the mess so the house looks _presentable_ at the very least."

Kousuke watched Haruko and the twin girls walk upstairs. Aneko tried grabbing the Battleship board game from her brother again, but he yanked it away and ran the rest of the stairs. When they were out of sight, Kousuke began mopping up all the melted ice cubes on the floor. He refilled the ice trays with water and put them back into the freezer. Finishing up in the kitchen, Kousuke headed for the second floor where he still had to clean up Aneko and Aiko's army of toys. To his surprise, the entire floor was clean of toys.

Kousuke peered into Haruko's room to find him asleep. Funny enough, he was also clutching his Battleship game board. "Looks like he's afraid Aneko or Aiko might steal it in the night…" Kousuke thought with an inward laugh. Closing the door to Haruko's door, he then moved onto his daughters' room. They, too, were quietly sleeping. Their army of toys covered the entire floor. Kousuke made another note to build another room so that the twins could have separate rooms one day. It really wasn't healthy to have them together at all times.

Finally, Kousuke slowly trudged his way back to his room. He took a quick shower and collapsed onto his bed. He was exhausted—VERY exhausted. He had come home late from work, not eaten dinner, and chased after his kids to discipline them. It wasn't one of the roughest days of his life, but it was one of the roughest days as a father. Ryoko was always taking care of the kids and disciplining them most of the time. Speaking of Ryoko, where was she? Kousuke didn't have time to think over the matter because his eyes couldn't help shutting close and…

--+--

The next time Kousuke woke up, it wasn't to his alarm clock. It was due to the fact that Ryoko had kicked him off the bed. Kousuke could hear Jiro crying once again. "It's your turn to take care of him, Kousuke." Ryoko answered calmly. Kousuke looked up to see that his wife was still sleeping, or at least she was half-conscious.

"But Ryoko! I have a big meeting tomorrow!" Kousuke whined. Ryoko said nothing and continued to sleep. It was hard to tell if she was feigning it or not.

Grumbling, Kousuke got up and slowly walked to the nursery. When he opened the door, he could see Rio cradling Jiro. "Rio?"

Rio looked up at Kousuke and grinned. She looked not much more different than she did eleven years ago. Her features were a lot more mature, but it looked like she could still pull off the innocent look. Rio was still short, but her hair was longer.

"Hey there, Kousuke. How have you been?" Rio asked.

"Pretty good. What about you?"

"I've had my ups and downs for the past eleven years. But those ups and downs have never been better." Rio replied. She nodded and laughed lightly. "You look tired, Kousuke."

Kousuke scoffed, "You have no idea how hard it is to keep a family in check."

"Well, no one said that raising a family was going to be easy, idiot." She answered. "But I think you and Ryoko are doing an excellent job raising Haruko, Aneko, Aiko, and Jiro."

"Do you think so?" Kousuke asked.

Rio nodded. "Yeah."

"You've had a long flight, Rio. Why don't you give Jiro to me, and I'll put him to sleep." Kousuke offered.

"No, that's okay. I have only sat in a plane doing nothing for hours. I am guessing that you have been working hard and chasing your kids around." Rio replied. "Why don't you go to sleep? You probably have to work tomorrow."

Kousuke wanted to argue with Rio, but he shut his mouth instead. "Okay then. Good night Rio."

"Good night Kousuke."

--+--

The next day began with a slow Saturday morning. Aneko and Aiko were watching morning cartoons in front of the TV while Haruko was on the couch reading an encyclopedia book. Rio and Ryoko were sitting at the dining table drinking coffee. Kousuke came running down the stairs all dressed for work. He grabbed his mug and filled it up with coffee. He took several pieces of toast and grabbed his briefcase. He kissed Ryoko on the cheek and quickly messed up Rio's hair. As he was putting on his shoes, he said to Rio, "I wouldn't drink coffee if I were you Rio! It might stunt your height growth." As he was taking off through the door, he yelled back, "Bye kids!"

"I'm already short, Kousuke! I can't get any taller, you idiot!" Rio screamed after the redhead.

"Bye dad." Aneko, Aiko, and Haruko said in a dull voice. Not once did they lift their eyes up from what they were doing.

"Aneko, Aiko. You girls are sitting too close to the TV screen. Scoot back or you will ruin your eyes. Then you will have to get glasses like Haruko and your father." Ryoko ordered. The girls still did not take their eyes off from the TV, but they did scoot back a couple of inches. "Further." Again, the girls moved back all the way so their backs were against the couch. "Thank you."

"How did Haruko get glasses?" Rio asked.

"From reading small print." Ryoko answered.

Rio looked over at Haruko and squinted at the title of the book he was reading. "Is he reading an encyclopedia!" Rio asked with shock.

"Yes. He always does." Ryoko said with a laugh. "He got most of his looks from me, but he got his brains from Kousuke. Haruko learns from reading books and encyclopedias. That's why he's the smartest in his class."

"Really? Then why don't you just take him out of his school and save some money? He could easily home school himself." Rio suggested. "Or what about having him skip a couple of grades?"

"No. I want Haruko to make friends and gain social skills. And I want him to be among kids his own age." The mother explained. "I don't think that older grades would be too happy if a seven year old could outsmart them."

Rio sighed. "I guess you are right. You and Kousuke must be pretty happy living such an ordinary life."

"We are. Don't you think we deserve it? You know we never did have one in our younger years." She said slowly.

Rio snorted. "'Younger years'? You make it sound like we are so old now!" She laughed.

"Oh stop it!"

"You know I'm only teasing, Ryoko. But onto more "serious" matters…don't you find it odd that we haven't gone insane yet?" Rio asked more seriously.

Ryoko shook her head. "No, not really. From what Kirie told us, Yaiba created the Blade Children so we would rise to the top of society and then kill everyone. When we would turn twenty, our "Devil's blood" would awaken and we would all go insane. I really doubt that. It wasn't like they injected us with blood from the devil." She replied.

"I know that. I think the title of "Devil's blood" refers to the fact that Yaiba Mizushiro was the devil and that we are his children." Rio pointed out.

"I know, I know. I just find the story hard to believe. Yaiba was human and being the "devil" was just a title! Sure, he was very intelligent, but I think that even he couldn't predict that we would all lose our minds at a certain age. Was there really a curse? Maybe only God knows if this really was our fate—to turn into murderers with no sense at all."

"There is no such thing as God." Rio muttered, but Ryoko ignored the comment.

"You have to admit though. He is a genius for handing down his intelligence to us." Ryoko responded.

"Okay, say that we don't go insane during our entire twenties. Does that mean we won't lose our minds in our thirties? What about our forties? We all age differently. We could go insane at _any _time." The short Blade Child answered.

"Kousuke tells me that Kiyotaka's organization is taking care of that. You remember the message on our eighteenth birthday, right?" Ryoko asked.

"Yeah, I remember. I find the idea of spending your birthday at any of the organization headquarters to be quite dull. What if you wanted to spend just one birthday with a loved one?" Rio said.

In order to secure the safety of surrounding people and the Blade Children, Kiyotaka issued an order and request to all Blade Children. On their birthday, they were required to head to the nearest headquarters of Kiyotaka's association. There were headquarters all over the world. All the Blade Children were supposed to stay there for a week beginning on their birthday. It was to make sure that they weren't going to go insane around others. Kiyotaka was just being cautious.

"You are right about that though. For just one year, I want to make Kousuke dinner for his birthday, or we just spend it together." The former runner replied. She lowered her voice down to a whisper and said, "It is getting to be so hard for Kousuke and I to lie where we are on our birthdays."

"You mean you haven't told them about the Blade Children yet?" Rio retorted.

"No! Rio! They are still kids! They won't be able to understand until they are older!"

"But Ryoko! We were Aneko and Aiko's age when we all realized our fate!" Rio protested.

"It's different now! They aren't cursed! Their seventh rib wasn't cut off. Hunters aren't after them!" Ryoko assumed. She took a sip of her coffee and began to run her fingers on the rim of her mug.

"And how do you know that Hunters aren't after them?" Rio questioned.

Ryoko's head quickly snapped up. "Are Hunters after my children? What? Why? Kousuke said that Kiyotaka disbanded the Hunters."

"No, calm down. It's okay. Hunters aren't after them, but you can't be too sure. After all, some crazy lunatic might try to reform them and hunt all surviving Blade Children and their children. If Hunters were after your kids, they should at least be able to defend themselves. Why don't you let me teach them a thing or two about bombs and guns?" Rio stated with a smile.

"No. No, no." Ryoko repeated. "I don't want my sons and daughters to learn how to kill."

"Not kill! Self-defense!" Rio pronounced.

"You sound like my husband now. He has been trying to convince me of the same thing for a while."

"You should listen to him. Who knows what fate has in store for us, nonetheless our children? You can't always be too sure."

Ryoko stared at the faces of her children. They were so young and so innocent. In the eyes of a Hunter, those were easiest to kill. She looked back at Rio and shook her head again. "No, I won't teach them. They deserve a normal life because we never had one. If the time ever comes that we have to run and then fight, then Kousuke and I will teach them the rules of survival." She answered sternly.

"Kill or be killed?"

"Yeah."

"It's our way of life! That's how we were all able to survive." Ryoko raised her eyebrow. "Except for you and several other Blade Children, of course."

Ryoko sighed. "That _was_ our way of life." She pointed out.

"Yes. We now live to create our own opportunities and hope." Rio replied with a smile. Her smile dropped slightly as she said, "It's so sad to hear about Ayumu."

The brunette nodded. "Well, he had to pass on sometime. Like Hizumi said, they both had a limited lifespan." She clarified.

"He was able to hold out for twenty-seven years. That's truly amazing." Rio said.

"He was the creation of Kiyotaka Narumi. What do you expect? I think Hizumi would have lived just as long if he didn't throw himself from the top of Tokyo Tower. Then again, it was his fate to die…"

"So was ours. You know," Rio began, "I can't help but to think this as a theory. Everyone says that you can't change the tide of fate. Do you think that even all of our futile struggles to survive eleven years ago could have shifted it, even slightly?" She watched the twins turn off the TV and run outside. "We must have made a big difference."

The brunette smiled and said, "Is that so? In that case, tell me more. Will our descendents change the course of fate? Or will doing ordinary things in life change fate as well?"

Rio laughed and said, "I don't think that our future generations will want to change fate without knowing how or even why. A man created our destiny, but then again, another man also gave us a different one. Our future generations should always remember what Ayumu Narumi has done for us."

Both women smiled brightly just as Aneko and Aiko came back into the house. "Mommy! Can we get a kitty?" both girls asked.

"Kameko Suzumara down the street has a really cute one!" Aneko replied excitedly.

"It's black and its paws and face are white!" Aiko added.

"And it has a little bell around its neck!"

"And it's so adorable and tiny!"

"So can we get a kitty?" both girls repeated. They put very innocent, yet lively smiles on their faces. "PLEASE?"

Ryoko let out a small laugh and answered, "We'll see. I'll ask your father if it is all right."

"Yay!" Both girls cried before running outside once again.

Rio watched them go out and begin playing with the other kids. "The leading life of "ordinary" suits you and Kousuke very well."

"Kousuke and I are very far from ordinary. The least we can do is give our children the lives we never had."

--+--

Two weeks later was Ayumu's funeral. All the Blade Children and Ayumu's close friends and relatives had attended. Kousuke and Ryoko were there with their entire family in tow. Feeling the dark and gloomy atmosphere, the kids quietly stood next to their parents. Rio had her eyes closed as if she was trying to stop herself from crying for the Blade Children's savior. Eyes and Kirie stood next to each other, hand in hand. They were married now, yet they didn't have any kids. Eyes looked taller and more mature than he did eleven years ago. His hair remained as short as the time his mother had passed away. Kirie looked older as well, but her light pink hair still remained long. The only thing that did not change about her was the cigarette in between her fingers. Akira Uemoto was the real name of Hiyono Yuizaki. She was at the funeral as well. Her features no longer made her pass as a high school student. Her hair wasn't in braids, but instead, her blond hair was shorn to the point of her shoulders. Kiyotaka and Madoka were of course there. Kiyotaka's arm was around his wife's shoulder as she was the only one crying freely. Kiyotaka and Madoka's friends, Kuromi Kohinaia and Tohru Saiki were also there to pay their respects.

As the coffin passed by Ryoko and her family, she couldn't contain a lone tear that streamed down her face. Aiko tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered to her, "Mommy, who is in that wooden box?"

Ryoko smiled through the tears blinding her eyes and answered quietly, "In that coffin is a very special friend of ours. He helped us a lot a long time ago."

"What is his name?" Aiko asked.

"Ayumu Narumi. Your father and I will tell you and your brothers and sister his story very soon." Ryoko promised. She wiped away her tears and smiled again. Aiko nodded and faced forward, holding her mother's hand.

The coffin was lowered into the hole dug in the ground, and the priest began to read a passage from the bible. Soon afterwards, he invited everyone to pay his or her last respects to Ayumu. Slowly, everyone silently paid his or her respects to Ayumu's final resting place before throwing a Japanese iris on the coffin. After the funeral, everyone conversed with each other.

Kousuke looked up at the sky and said grimly, "Why does it feel like the sky is mocking us?"

"Hi Ryoko. Hi Kousuke." Akira greeted.

"Hi Hiyono. I'm sorry. I mean Akira." Ryoko replied.

Akira shook her head. "No, it's okay. You know me by Hiyono, anyway." She replied coolly. She looked over at Kousuke and Ryoko's kids. "Are these your kids?"

"Yes! The boy is Haruko. Then those are the twins Aneko and Aiko. And in Haruko's arms is Jiro." Kousuke replied.

Akira smiled. "You both must be pretty happy."

"We are. No matter how much those kids drive us up the wall, we love them." Ryoko explained.

"Are you coming to Kiyotaka's apartment for dinner?" Kousuke asked.

Akira shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't. I begin my next assignment in a couple of hours."

"That is a shame. We could have caught up." Kousuke said.

"Are you working on one assignment after another, Hiy—Akira?" Ryoko questioned. "You really should take a vacation or settle down now."

"I really want to settle down, but I just haven't found the right person yet." Akira replied.

"I think you found him, but waited too long to tell him your feelings." Kousuke pointed out bluntly.

"Kousuke!" his wife yelled, elbowing him in the stomach.

Akira flushed deeply and laughed. "No, please, Ryoko! He's right. I did wait too long to tell Ayumu. I saw him two years after I returned from Germany, and I still didn't say anything." She explained. She looked over at Kiyotaka and the other Blade Children. "Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision in choosing my job over Ayumu…"

"Things would have turned out differently." The brunette pointed out distinctly.

"They would have."

"Hey! Are you having dinner with us or not!" Kirie yelled to the Asazuki family and Akira.

"I really shouldn't keep you and your family anymore. If I don't see you ever again, then please let me tell you that I think both of you are well suited for an ordinary life. Your kids will turn out very well. Good-bye." Akira ended. She bowed to both Ryoko and Kousuke before walking among the gravestones and out of sight.

--+--

"Aneko, eat your vegetables." Ryoko ordered at dinner several nights later. Kiyotaka and Madoka were back at work so Kousuke was spared the additional stress from working two full time shifts. He was happy to have dinner with his lovely wife and somewhat troublesome kids.

"Haruko, do you have to read at the dinner table?" Kousuke asked his oldest son.

Haruko adjusted his glasses and closed the encyclopedia. "Fine. I won't read during dinner." He grumbled, dropping the book on the floor.

There was a silence that overcame the Asazuki family. The only thing that could be heard in the dining room was the clinking and clanking of tableware. Kousuke and Ryoko looked at each other from across the table and grinned.

"Hey kids, do you want to hear the story of Ayumu Narumi now?" Kousuke asked.

"Yeah! Let's hear it!" the three of them responded. Ryoko's smile became a little wider as she began to clean up the mess of food Jiro had made.

"So Ayumu's story begins when he gets a mysterious phone call from his brother…" Kousuke began.

* * *

So, did you love it? Hate it? Did I make it too serious in the middle? Tell me what you think! 


	2. Intelligence May Be Handed Down, but Can

A/N: Okay, I couldn't help making a one-shot sequel! So, I will be making this a trilogy one-shot!! The first one showed Kousuke and Ryoko handling four kids in their childhood. This one shall show them taking care of a group of teenagers, and finally, the last one shall show the kids in their adult years. Please read and enjoy!!

--+--

The Leading Life of Ordinary

Stage 2

Intelligence May Be Handed Down, But Can Curses?

It was a hot summer afternoon that day. It was so hot that no one was outside. The only exception was a tall, slightly burly teenage boy. He lay on his side on the wet grass, the water sprinkled blades tickling his face and slowly soaking his short, brown hair. Beside him was a thick encyclopedia and a pair of glasses.

Haruko Asazuki continued to snooze on the lawn of the house he grew up in. He snored lightly as two tall, skinny girls towered over him. One of them blew into a paper bag. She continued to grip the inflated bag as she placed it on the ground near Haruko's head. With a devilish grin passing over both girls' faces, the other girl raised her foot and slammed it onto the paper bag.

The sound was like a firing cannon at close range. Haruko jumped up immediately, shoving his glasses onto his face. He yelled out in surprise, "Mother fu – "

"Do you kiss mom with that mouth?" The twins asked.

Haruko glared at the mischievous faces of his twin sisters, Aneko and Aiko. The twins were fraternal twins – the only difference was their eyes. Both girls had such light red hair, it almost looked pink. Aneko had her father's green eyes while her twin had her mother's brown. The girls were tall, but were half a head shorter than Haruko.

"What do you want?" Haruko asked coolly.

"What? Is this how you greet your adorable twin sisters?" Both girls asked. Their devilish grins disappeared and were replaced with looks of innocence.

"We didn't see you last night when mom and dad picked you up from the airport!" Aneko replied.

"Yeah! And we just came home from track practice to find you here!!" Aiko added.

Both girls wrapped their arms around their oldest brother and hugged him tightly. "No wonder both of you reek. Now get off my 'adorable twin sisters'." He brushed them off. "Really, what do you want?" He repeated.

"We just wanted to know if you wanted a drink."

"Or two."

Both girls held up two identical glasses with cloudy water. Haruko groaned. His sisters were playing the "Guess which glass contains sugar" game. It was the same game played by Rio Takeuchi and Ayumu Narumi twenty-four years ago.

Thirteen years ago, when Haruko was seven and the twins were five, their parents Kousuke and Ryoko told them the story of Ayumu Narumi. Auntie Rio had filled them in with the dangerous games and murders whenever she was back in Osaka for a visit. (Rio made frequent visits, whether she was invited or not.)

The three of them (and later four) found the story of the Blade Children to be very interesting, but no one was more fascinated with the story than the twins. They took the story to heart. They tried very hard to recreate each game ever played and each clever murder performed.

The twins had secretly learned from their Auntie Rio how to devise small bombs and catch people off guard with the innocent act. They would steal all kitchen knives and Haruko's dartboard to perfect the skill of throwing knives like the infamous Kanone Hilbert. They attempted to use amazing logic, master the notes of the piano, and cook the most delicious food ever. They failed miserably with all three.

While Aneko and Aiko were smart, their brains were nowhere in comparison to Haruko's. Haruko learned quickly from reading books (mostly encyclopedias) and could recall hundreds of facts at the top of his head. With cooking, the twins could only make tasteless stews – everything else they burned. The girls also had a hard time understanding the musical notes for playing the piano.

They became rather sour when Eyes Rutherford, the proclaimed "Savior of the Music World" and family friend of Kousuke and Ryoko said that Jiro showed great potential for the piano. When Jiro was six, Eyes arrived in Japan for several concerts. The Asazuki family was given backstage passes. As they took a tour behind the stage, Jiro wandered off only to find himself on the stage with a gorgeous ebony piano in the middle. He sat down and fingered the ivory keys absently. Eyes went on the stage to warm up and found his friend's youngest son making up small pieces with the sounds. The savior of music sat beside the young boy and taught him a little about playing the delicate instrument. Jiro was reunited with his family later, and Eyes explained about Jiro's potential as a musician. This caused Kousuke and Ryoko to get him a piano instructor and his own piano. This might also explain why Aneko and Aiko often scared Jiro with kitty plushies, trying to dress him up as a girl, and using him as a guinea pig for experiments.

Kousuke and Ryoko did not truly realize the seriousness of the twins' recreations until they pulled off their most dangerous restoration. Both girls attended separate schools because their parents did not want to keep them together all the time. Even though Aneko and Aiko had two other brothers, they couldn't really shut themselves off from the world and create, "their world" and "everything outside of their world."

The worst of the twins' recreations was the Chinese Magical Square bomb originally fashioned by Rio. Kousuke's boss, Kiyotaka Narumi had to go to both schools to disarm the bombs. It was later found out that the bombs were not as powerful as the one engineered twenty-four years ago. They would only blow up a room at the least. Mister and Missus Asazuki threw a very furious fit over this particular incident. The girls just did not have the same spark and talent that Rio had herself.

Haruko could easily see through the twins' devilish antics. The only one that was afraid of both girls was the youngest Asazuki child. As a child, his sisters often tortured Jiro. He feared kitty plushies after hearing the story about Rio blowing herself up with a small bomb concealed inside a kitty doll. Aneko and Aiko threatened Jiro with one whenever he refused to allow his sisters to put make-up on him. Luckily, Haruko always came to his rescue.

"So, which shall you choose?" Aneko asked.

"Neither, you devilish brats." Haruko said without hesitation. "You have been pulling this same game on Jiro and me for the past thirteen years. I have had to put up with your nonsense for seventeen! I know you damn games, so stop pulling them on me!"

"You're such a bore, Haruko!" Aneko replied.

"Yeah! We have no one else to play with except for Jiro!" Aiko added.

"And mom barred us from playing anymore cruel tricks and games on him." Aneko replied.

"It's no fun around here anymore!" Both girls proclaimed. They took the glasses in their hands and dumped it all over their oldest brother.

"Serves both of you right. Mom always did have both of you on a short leash ever since the bomb incident at your schools." Haruko said with a laugh. He

"Mom and dad have kept a close eye on us to make sure we didn't do anything to Jiro when you went away to college." Aneko said slowly.

"They are right to." The oldest child pointed out. "I was the only one who protected him." The front door opened and a boy who was less than a head taller than the twins walked out. He looked a little lanky, but his shoulders were constantly slouched as if he was trying to minimize himself from view. His head was down, his shaggy brown hair covering his emerald green eyes. "Oh, speak of the Devil."

"Hi Jiro!!" The twins cried as loud as they could.

Jiro jumped up as if he had just sat down on a tack. He looked at the twins quickly with a look of fear before scooping up a black cat that was sleeping on the porch. Jiro then ran inside the house and slammed the door shut.

"He's always so jumpy whenever one of us yells out his name…" Aiko replied.

"Duh. Of course he would." Haruko answered sourly.

"Shut up, Haruko." Aneko ordered.

Aiko then smiled slyly at her brother and asked, "Oh, by the way, Haruko… I heard from mom and dad that you have a _girlfriend_ now. Who is the unlucky girl?"

Haruko glowered at her.

Aneko also put on the same smile. "Yeah, who is she?"

"What is her name?"

"And address?"

"When will we meet her?"

"How did you convince her to go out with you?"

"Yeah! You're such a dork, it is hard to believe that ANYONE would agree to go out with you!"

Haruko snatched his encyclopedia from the grass and got up. He began stalking towards the front door. When he opened the door, he found Jiro playing his piano and his mom cooking inside the kitchen. "Mom, stop telling those two devils about my business!" He yelled into the kitchen as he ran upstairs.

"Haruko?!" Ryoko said with confusion. She ceased what she was doing and went towards the staircase where she found her two daughters run upstairs.

"Haruko! You haven't told us anything about her yet!" Aiko egged.

"Come ON!! What's the scoop?" Aneko asked persistently.

Haruko's answer was just the loud slam of his bedroom door.

"Haruko!!" The twins whined together. "If you don't open the door and tell us, we'll blow it down with a bomb!!"

"If you girls do that, then I will be sure to glue your legs together – that way, you can hop all the way to the finish line in your next track meet." Ryoko threatened seriously as she climbed the stairs.

"Mom, you know that was just an empty threat!" Aneko explained hastily.

"And mine wasn't. You know, I've heard your father make so many empty threats as all of you were growing up. You must have learned that from him." The older woman replied grimly. "Yaiba Mizushiro proved that intelligence can be handed down. I believe that I just proved that the use of empty threats can run through the generations, too. Now, curses? That's another story."

Ryoko waved her hand in a dismissive manner and walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She resumed cooking dinner, listening to her youngest son play the piano as well as the sounds upstairs. She observed how she only heard Aiko's door close and not Aneko's. She could faintly hear Haruko throwing darts at the wall, most likely (and preferably), at the dartboard. Ryoko could tell that her son was throwing them in the most furious manner. And Aneko was…

"Mom, what did you mean by the thing you said about curses?" Aneko asked from behind her mom.

Ryoko turned around to look at her oldest daughter and sighed. "Kiyotaka wants Haruko to go through the same thing that your father and I go through every year on our birthdays." She explained.

"You mean he has to go away just in case he goes insane?" She girl asked. "His twentieth birthday is in two days!"

"Yep." Ryoko said coldly. "I really do not enjoy the fact that my sons and daughters may bear the curse of the Blade Children. I find it absolutely repulsive." She concluded harshly.

"There is nothing we can do about it. Kiyotaka has always been cautious ever since all the remaining Blade Children became of age. This is nothing new." A deep voice replied. Kousuke Asazuki entered the kitchen to kiss his wife and daughter hello.

"Oh, Kousuke. I didn't hear your car pull into the driveway." Ryoko commented.

"With Jiro playing that piano of his, of course you wouldn't." He said casually. "Ah, are you making that wonderful stew of yours?"

Ryoko ignored her husband's comment on dinner and continued on with the serious conversation. "Will they test our grandchildren as well? Will they test all of our future generations for the Devil's blood that may or may not exist? Will they even if Kiyotaka has passed on?" she asked stubbornly.

"Ryoko, I know you don't approve sending Haruko away for his birthday, but we can't do anything about it!" Kousuke explained.

"You didn't try to talk him out of it? What about Madoka? Can't she appeal to her husband on this?" Ryoko questioned. It was more than clear that her temper was rising – fast. She was always so touchy when it came to the matters of her kids getting mixed in with the terrible fate of the accursed Blade Children.

(Aneko found this as a good time to sneak away.)

"Ryoko, calm down. I did appeal to Kiyotaka, but you know how he is!" Kousuke defended. "He is as stubborn as a jackass!"

Kousuke's wife punched him. "Don't call your boss a jackass."

"I know that his decisions aren't always the best one, but what can you expect? Kiyotaka is no God. That is just a title in the eyes of the people. He's just as human as we are!"

Kousuke opened the pot on the stove and tried to eat some of the contents inside. As his hand was just reaching inside, Ryoko grabbed his arm and twisted it. "Don't." she replied firmly.

Kousuke retracted his arm dejectedly.

"Look, all I am saying, is that Kiyotaka is trying to play it safe. When Haruko is at the headquarters, they will run a few harmless tests on him –"

Ryoko scoffed.

"—and he will be back in a week."

She gave her husband a glare of uncertainty. "Oh, all right." She said hesitantly. "But if something really does happen to Haruko, then you will be the biggest idiot to blame."

"Aw… I guess that makes you an idiot as well, darling. You are the only idiot who ever had the most unfortunate pleasure of falling in love and marrying this big idiot, and giving him four wonderful children." Kousuke said with a smug smile.

Ryoko's glare faltered slightly at her husband's sweet words. Oh, this is was one of the many reasons why she loved him so. She then restored her glare before kicking him in the shin. "Oh, shut up." She flustered.

Kousuke winced slightly at the kick, but did not cry out in pain. "You know, Ryoko, you have to stop kicking and punching me. We both are not as young as we once were." He pointed out.

And Ryoko countered softly, "Of course. But when we were young, we thought we would always remain young. It was the fate of the Blade Children."

--+--

"So, Haruko! You're turning twenty in two days! How do you feel?" Aiko asked later that night during dinner.

Haruko swallowed the food in his mouth before replying, "Old."

"Old?" Ryoko asked. "When your father and I were nearing that age, we thought it was the end of our lives!"

"It is understandable for you, mom." Jiro said quietly.

"Okay, I guess you're right. _Bored_ would be a better word for it." He replied.

"How so?" Aneko asked.

"Turning twenty just means that I am still one year short of actually becoming legal!" He answered.

"Here, here!" Kousuke chimed in. His wife gave him a look that made him go, "I mean, uh –" He then cleared his throat and said nothing else.

"Don't forget to do what you have to do before your birthday." Ryoko reminded.

Haruko's previous smile faded slightly. "… Right."

"Oh, mom! Don't bum him out!" Aiko said.

"This has to be the most depressing birthday ever." Jiro concluded with a dour tone.

"Well said." Haruko agreed.

"Oh, you shouldn't be like that!" Kousuke replied. "When all of the Blade Children were about to turn twenty, we thought it was the end of the world."

Ryoko nodded with agreement. "Then Ayumu showed up at Kiyotaka's corporation were some of us were being held. It was the first and last time he was seen outside of his hospital room." She explained.

"He had to be escorted by five nurses." Kousuke added. "He really was sharp with them – He didn't need that much help."

"He yelled at the Blade Children for forgetting his words. He told them again, and all was calm once more." Ryoko smiled. "We all were still scared though, but his words put us to rest in a way."

The four kids sat quietly, listening intently.

"… Did he always have that effect on you?" Jiro asked.

"He did, after he started believing in himself. When Ayumu believed in himself, he took control of the situation. He was forceful and confident in his actions." Kousuke answered.

His smile became reassuring as he said, "Don't worry, Haruko. I am sure we do not have blood injected from a Devil. No one has become an insane killing machine yet. I am sure you will not either."

Haruko nodded with a weak smile. "I guess I better explain a few things to Amaya then…" He got up and left the kitchen.

The twins jumped up as well and ran after their older brother. "Oh! Is that the name of your girlfriend?" Aneko asked excitedly.

"What is her last name and social security number?" Aiko chimed in.

"Shut up!" Haruko yelled as he slammed his bedroom door shut.

Jiro slowly followed after them, possibly using this as an opportunity to sneak behind the twins.

Kousuke and Ryoko watched them go, hand in hand.

"I guess all we can do now is hope." Ryoko said softly.

Kousuke nodded slightly. He squeezed his wife's hand.

"And believe."

* * *

Thanks for reading again! So, we have part 2 of this trilogy one-shot! it will be released as soon as possible! I love the final chapter. Well, anyway, I just wanted to clear one more thing up. I am sure people will wonder what this means so I decided to clear it up. When Ryoko says this:

_And Ryoko countered softly, "Of course. But when we were young, we thought we would always remain young. It was the fate of the Blade Children."_

She actually is referring to the past. When the Blade Children were young, they thought they would always remain young because they were destined to die at a young age. Just wanted to clear that up! Thanks for reading again!


	3. Reminiscence

A/N: So, here we are at the final stage of "The Leading life of Ordinary". It has been very awesome and so much fun in writing this piece. Enjoy!

--+--

The Leading Life of Ordinary

Stage 3

Reminiscence

The lights were bright inside of the large ballroom. The people almost could have said that the source of light came from Aiko Kiyoshi's beaming face on her wedding day. Her bright smile would not and could not fade away as she danced with her new husband Makoto Kiyoshi.

The real story of how they met began with the opening of Haruko's new software corporation. It was quick, advanced, and all corporations were beginning to use it. (Of course, Kiyotaka's corporation backed it up.) Haruko was also celebrating his own engagement to his girlfriend from college, Amaya Maeko. It was love at first sight for Aiko and Makoto. Two years later, there were there in the illuminating ballroom, dancing to their song as a newlywed couple.

Kousuke and Ryoko could not be prouder and more delighted than anyone else. Haruko and Amaya were expecting their first child with Haruko's company still going on strong. Aiko was now embarking on a new journey called marriage. Aneko had begun working for a French magazine called _ELLE_, and Jiro was on his way to college.

Ryoko sank into her chair and sighed. "It only seems like yesterday that my children were children." She said slowly.

"Ah, it feels like a lifetime ago to me." Kousuke replied. "With them running around causing an uproar inside for so long, I thought it wouldn't end…"

Jiro smile softly and said, "You raised us well though."

"For a moment, I thought we didn't raise the twins well enough, but they turned out just fine." Ryoko replied with relief.

"We can expect another grandchild on the way soon." Kousuke said passively.

"And a box full of clothes from fashion designers as well." Jiro added.

Aneko had moved to Paris after high school for college and an once-in-a-lifetime internship with _ELLE_. The twins became even easier to tell apart afterwards. Aneko had shorn off her long reddish-pink hair and dyed it so the color looked like dark copper wires. She often wore black and another color and green eye shadow to bring out her emerald green eyes. In other words, she had become very à la mode and trendy.

"I do not see why Aneko keeps sending us samples of clothes from work. Really! Where am I going to wear them? I am only a stay home mom. Where will I wear the latest Chanel skirt? The supermarket?" Ryoko asked.

"You have a point, mom." Aneko replied as she approached her parents and youngest brother. "Would you like it if I just sent you perfume and designer bags instead?"

Ryoko thought a moment before saying she would. "Oh my. It looks like we will be using your old rooms in order to store all of the thousands bottles of perfume and designer purses." Kousuke said sadly.

"Oh, how rude." Aneko commented stiffly as she turned her nose up into the air.

"Aneko…Are you talking with a French accent?" Jiro asked bluntly.

"Eh…" The color on Aneko's cheeks slightly became a little redder. "What makes you say that?"

"I thought I heard you speaking with one."

"Eh… Well, enough about me! This day is about Aiko and Makoto! We really should be talking about them!" Aneko evaded quickly.

"Nice change of subject." Jiro said quietly. His parents gave them a bemused smile.

"Sh-shut up, Jiro." The oldest twin ordered.

"Your sister really does look beautiful, though." Ryoko cut in.

Aneko flipped her copper red hair over her shoulder. "All thanks to me of course."

"Sure, why not?" Jiro replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut your face, Jiro!" Aneko ordered fiercely.

"Hmph. You would think my children would be able to display more _maturity_ now that they are all _adults_, but it looks like I was wrong." Ryoko commented coldly.

They didn't say another cross word after that.

--+--

"Oh, mom, I feel a little guilty about leaving you and dad all alone in that house." Aiko said on the following Monday of her wedding. She was preparing with Makoto to go on their honeymoon in Italy.

"I believe we will be fine by ourselves, Aiko. You have nothing to worry about." Ryoko reassured.

"But…"

"No 'buts', Aiko!" Ryoko continued loading her youngest daughter's luggage into her car. "Your father and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. We are forty-six, not sixty-six."

"If you insist…but won't it be very lonely in that house once Jiro is off to college?" Aiko asked.

"Of course it will. I will no longer have anyone to chase after or yell at, unless it is your father for not picking up his socks and putting them in the hamper." The mother said with an amused smile.

"Yes, but with Haruko and Amaya's child on the way, I am more than positive that we will be chasing after a young child again." Kousuke answered as he strode out of the house with more luggage in tow. "And I heard that sock comment as well." He shot at his wife.

Ryoko's smile did not falter. "It's true, though. You are too lazy to get off your ass and put with the rest of the dirty clothes."

"This should be the last of our baggage." Makoto replied as he placed in one more suitcase. "Aiko, we should get going now."

"Certainly."

"Jiro! Come say good-bye to your sister!" Kousuke yelled.

Jiro abruptly stopped playing Franz Liszt's _Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude_ (The Benediction of God's Solitude) on his piano and walked outside to say good-bye to the newlywed couple. There were kisses and hugs and handshakes to go around.

"I'm sorry that Aneko and Haruko aren't here to see you off." Ryoko apologized to her daughter and new husband.

"Why are you apologizing? You don't have to. I am aware that Aneko is busy at the magazine." Aiko replied.

"Yes, and Haruko is at work making up for my absence." Makoto said with a laugh.

"Bye Aiko. Hopefully I will find someone special and at least be half as happy as you when I get married." Jiro replied with a soft smile.

"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Jiro!" Aiko answered with her own smile. "Come here."

She moved to hug her little brother, but Jiro instead flinched as she approached. "Don't be stupid. I won't hurt you." She replied. Jiro reluctantly allowed her to hug him. "Here, let me give you some advice on love. Love is like playing the piano. First, you must learn to play by the rules. Then you must forget the rules and play from your heart."

"Where did you learn that?" Jiro asked.

"From Ayumu Narumi. Auntie Rio told me the story of how Ayumu convinced Eyes to marry Kirie." Aiko explained with a grin.

"I'll keep that in mind for many years."

"But I think that you shouldn't be as half as happy as Makoto and me. You should be half as happy as mom and dad – no, the rest of the surviving Blade Children. They of all people have lead challenging and miserable lives. For them to be truly happy in this day and age is a blessing that extends beyond the sky."

Aiko and Makoto got into their car and drove off towards their new life together.

--+--

"Jiro, are you ready to go now?" Kousuke asked as he came down the stairs.

He was at his piano as usual, this time, playing Claude Debussy's _Arabesque No.1_ as his mother watched. Jiro ended the song before looking up at his dad and answering, "Yes. I am now."

Kousuke stacked Jiro's carry-on luggage in the back of the car as Ryoko and Jiro climbed into the car. Kousuke started up the car and began driving to the airport. They all were silent along the way. They went through airport security until both Ryoko and Kousuke could no longer accompany their youngest son.

"Well, this is where you have to go off on your own." Ryoko replied.

"Just think of this as the point of your own independence." Kousuke said.

Jiro smiled. "Mom, dad, thank you… For everything." He replied.

"You better study well at Oxford!" Ryoko ordered.

Jiro laughed and said, "I will." He kissed his mom and dad before going through the rest of security to his plane.

Ryoko held her husband's hand as she watched her son's retreating back. Kousuke looked at her to spot tears welling up in her eyes.

"This is the fourth time I have had to watch one of our kids go off to college, and it is still very painful." She said sadly.

"I know. It is painful for me, too. But this will be the last time we will have to stand here in the airport like this for this occasion."

--+--

"It's funny." Ryoko replied.

"What is?" Kousuke asked.

"I used to think this house was so small. Now that it is just the two of us, it feels enormous." She answered.

"I see what you mean."

Kousuke sat down on the couch in front of the TV but didn't turn it on. His wife sat down next to him, gently hugging him.

"The cost of our bills will be lower." Ryoko commented. "And I will need to buy food for only two people now."

"Three, if you count Rio and her frequent visits."

Ryoko laughed. "Maybe it is time for a vacation."

"We should drop in on Rio unexpectedly like she always does to us."

"That would be nice."

"I would suggest paying a visit to Eyes and Kirie in London, but that would develop into seeing Jiro as well." Kousuke explained.

"How about this? In six months, we go visit Eyes and Kirie in their London flat. Then we make a side trip to see how Jiro is doing."

"It sounds good. Maybe after that, we could pay a visit to Rio and then Aneko in Paris. Perhaps to Germany to visit Kanone's grave."

Kousuke's wife gasped. "That's a lot of trips and visits!"

"Technically, that is one trip and five visits." He answered. "It certainly would be nice, don't you think?"

"Yes, you're right." Ryoko laid her head on her husband's shoulder. "If Ayumu were still alive, we could have paid him another visit. The last time we ever visited him was when I was pregnant with the twins."

They were silent for a little bit until Kousuke said, "That song that Jiro was playing before we left for the airport… Didn't Ayumu play that for us on our last visit?"

"I think so…"

--+--

"_Nice to see you again Kousuke, Ryoko." Ayumu greeted as he opened up the door of his hospital room with his right hand._

_Kousuke and Ryoko went inside, a small toddler in Kousuke's arms. "I brought you some cake, Ayumu." Ryoko said pleasantly as she handed Ayumu a light colored tupperware container._

"_Thank you, Ryoko. I've been eating nothing but this disgusting hospital food." Ayumu made a face as he placed the container on his bedside. "The nurses insist that I stay on this ridiculous diet. Madoka and my brother often bring me food I can appreciate whenever they visit."_

"_I see… I would comment that you look well, but that would be a lie." Kousuke commented._

"_Kousuke!" Ryoko burst._

"_There is no need, Ryoko. I have lost the use of my left arm so I would not be well. I would like to get outside of these hospital walls more often, though. The nurses make such a fuss whenever I do go outside. It is very annoying. It's like having ten Hiyono Yuizaki's fawn over me with worry." Ayumu said coldly. "It takes away the enjoyment of actually being outside."_

"_It's always nice to see that you haven't lost your cold edge over the years." Kousuke commented quietly. Ayumu ignored him._

"_Have you been in contact with Hiyo – Akira, lately?" Ryoko asked._

"_No, I haven't seen her since she visited me after her assignment in Germany." Ayumu replied. He peered at the toddler in the red head's arms and the rounding bump on Ryoko's stomach. "But I do see you are pregnant again, Ryoko."_

_Ryoko smiled. "Oh yes. With twins this time."_

"_Really? Twins certainly are joyous occasion." Ayumu replied in a soft tone._

"_Yes, two more to contribute to a chaotic household." Kousuke added as his son began to happily tug his reddish-pink hair. "Ouch!"_

"_May I see your son?" Ayumu asked._

"_Certainly." Kousuke gently took his son's hand away from his own hair before placing him in Ayumu's good arm._

"_He looks a lot like you, Ryoko."_

"_Yes, he does."_

"_What is his name?"_

"_Haruko."_

"_How fitting since it means 'first born'." Ayumu replied._

"_Yes, that's why we gave him that name."_

"_Do you know the sexes of the twins?"_

"_Kousuke does, but I don't. I prefer to keep that information in the dark until I actually have them." Ryoko explained._

"_Hm. I can see a large family with you two." Ayumu said. "No matter how much these kids will drive you up the wall, you will love them very much."_

"_Thank you, Ayumu." Ryoko replied._

"_I think our visit has run on long enough." The savior said. "Allow me to play for you before you leave." He handed Kousuke Haruko and sat down on a shiny ebony piano that glinted in the sun._

_It was amazing to both Kousuke and Ryoko how Ayumu could perfectly play Claude Debussy's **Arabesque No.1** with only one hand. It was then they became aware that because of Ayumu, all things are possible._

--+--

"… And then that was the last time we visited him." Ryoko finished.

"It is a shame he died without seeing Jiro… His vision of our big family would have been made true."

"Yes."

They were quiet for several minutes. It had been the first time in twenty-five years since Ryoko and Kousuke had complete silence in their house. Haruko wasn't tearing down the house, yelling at the twins. Aneko and Aiko weren't creating mischief and noise, and Jiro wasn't playing the piano. Without all of that, the house seemed completely empty and…silent.

Ryoko sighed. "We are only forty-six and I feel so old now…We're also going to be grandparents soon."

"You want to know who really is old?" Kousuke asked. Ryoko lifted her head to look at her husband. "Kiyotaka."

"That's acceptable. He's sixty-three now." Ryoko replied. "Will he be retiring soon from the business?"

(Kiyotaka's age is just an estimate of my own. In my opinion, he was in his mid-thirties when the Blade Children were just eighteen. I know all Blade Children are seventeen during the manga, but I think they all turn eighteen at the very end. So the difference between Kiyotaka's age and the Blade Children's after Ayumu's answer is seventeen years. Ryoko and Kousuke are forty-six in this chapter so adding on seventeen years, Kiyotaka's age adds up to either sixty-three. Sorry. I just wanted to clarify Kiyotaka's age and how I got it. Anyway, back to the story.)

"It depends if Yukio or Amarante will take up the position as head of the corporation." Kousuke replied. Yukio and Amarante are the only son and daughter of Kiyotaka and Madoka.

"Are they still hesitant?"

"Yes. Kiyotaka's age is starting to get to him. He needs an heir now, and Yukio and Amarante want the other to take up the position." Kousuke explained.

"Why don't both take up the position and split the responsibility?"

"Madoka suggested that as well. Both won't listen." He said.

"Kousuke, maybe Kiyotaka should name you the head of the corporation!" Ryoko exclaimed.

Kousuke smiled wryly. "I'm not the leadership type, really. Too much responsibility anyway. I have worked under Kiyotaka for the past twenty-five years. I plan on serving him and the successor until I am so old, I cannot get out of bed." He replied.

"So modest."

"Both Yukio and Amarante would contribute greatly if either became the successor. They grew up with it. They know everything that goes on."

"That may be true, but someone who gets involved with the family business ends up being forced into it, hating it, or becoming the successor." Ryoko answered.

"True, but I don't believe they hate it. But if they don't make up their minds on who will be the heir, Kiyotaka and Madoka will force either or maybe both into the position."

"If they are forced, then they really will hate the corporation." She commented.

"No kidding."

--+--

"I never knew we had so much crap up here." Kousuke commented as he looked around the attic.

"It's not _crap_, Kousuke." Ryoko said crossly. She punched her husband in the arm.

He rubbed the spot where he was punched and crouched down to stare at all of the boxes. "How much did you store in here when the kids were growing up?"

Ryoko went slightly pink. "A lot."

Kousuke looked around at the labeled boxes. "Report cards… old baby clothes… old toys… Haruko's former encyclopedias… kiddy books… Complaints about the twins from teachers…" He read off. "Jeez, Ryoko, you stored all of this?"

"I couldn't help myself, Kousuke. But now that the kids are gone, I don't have much to do. This is just something to keep me busy."

"Hmph. I can already see you rearranging the house and back in order to keep yourself occupied." Kousuke answered sourly. "I think you would be better off coaching track at Tsukiomi Academy or some other school."

"Shut up! I didn't ask you to help!" She glared at the redhead. "Why don't you go watch TV or something?"

Kousuke snorted. "TV rots the brain."

"If it does, then go do something else! I'll stay up here organizing by myself."

Kousuke ran his hand through his hair and sat down next to his wife. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"You can take all the boxes with baby clothes, toys, and children's books downstairs. I plan on giving them to Haruko and Amaya for the new baby." Ryoko ordered.

"Figures. I knew my wife would make me do all of the labor work." He grunted under his breath.

They went off to work. Ryoko opened boxes upon boxes and looked at their content inside. Kousuke carried boxes that contained items that could be given away downstairs. Once in a while, he would stop to reminiscence on certain memories with his wife.

("'Aneko was caught stealing a classmate's books and throwing them out the window.' 'Aiko offered another student a glass of water which she claimed had poison in it. It was later confirmed it was only bitter medicine.' 'Aneko was caught throwing a knife at another student in Home Economics class.' 'Aiko was caught kicking one of the members of the baseball team in the face and the back after school.'" Kousuke read through all of the complaints issued against the twins from when they were in school. "Damn. It's like reading about the twins' greatest achievements from school.")

They could not and would not forget the past. Life for them had always been difficult. But despite those difficult times, they came out on top. They fought for their existence. They fought to raise a family. Now, they were contented and happy and ready to move on with their "ordinary" lives.

* * *

Well, here we go! Here is the final chapter of **The Leading Life of Ordinary**!! It has been fun writing this. Now I have many other one-shots to complete. Oh my...So much work! Well, back to work! Onward and upward! 


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